


Lying Low In Vancouver

by nihilegi



Series: Ours [1]
Category: Baby Driver (2017)
Genre: Falling In Love, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Non-Explicit Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 10:30:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11644683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nihilegi/pseuds/nihilegi
Summary: "You'll always,alwaysbe our Baby."A series of non-sequential events following Atlanta.





	Lying Low In Vancouver

-1-          

The lines of Buddy’s muscular back were clear in the moonlight. Darling watched silently as he ashed his cigarette on the wrought-iron railing of the balcony, sending embers down to the earth below.

“’S cold out here,” she said softly after a moment. He didn’t seem surprised by her presence. 

“Yeah,” he replied.

“Probably too cold to be shirtless on the fuckin’ balcony.” 

He finally turned around to face her, the corner of his mouth cocked in a smirk. Illuminated only by the city lights below them, he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

“I thought you were asleep,” he said, holding his arm out in what was clearly an invitation. She walked forward and curled into his warmth, pressing herself between Buddy and the railing. 

“I was, but I woke up. He’s having nightmares again.”

Her husband’s head fell down against her shoulder and he exhaled heavily. His breath smelled like cigarettes and Listerine. It was a very familiar scent. Darling craned her neck to press a kiss to his jaw, the texture of his beard unfamiliar (but not entirely unpleasant) against her skin. 

“Are we doing the right thing?” He asked. Darling stifled a laugh.

“When has the answer to that question ever been yes?” Buddy chuckled lowly, one of his hands traveling down to rest on her hip. She leaned even further into his warmth.

“That’s a fair point, but you know that’s not what I was talking about. I meant are we doing right by _him_?” 

Darling was silent, staring over the city skyline. In just a few hours, the sun would be coming up. Her body still wasn’t used to the time zone change, which was just another reason they shouldn’t have stayed in Atlanta for so long. If you stay somewhere long enough to adapt to the time zone, you’ve stayed there long enough to get attached.

You’ve stayed there long enough to pick up strays.

“Is this his shirt?” Buddy asked finally, breaking the silence by tugging at the thin material of Darling’s t-shirt. It was the only thing protecting her from the chill of Vancouver’s winter. 

“Yeah. It was the first thing I found when I got up.”

“Kid’s so goddamn tall it looks like a dress on you.” That made her smile briefly, before sighing and leaning forward to brace her elbows on the railing.

“I don’t know if we’re doing right by him, but I know we’re doing better than anyone else could be. He needs someone to take care of him. I don’t think he’s had that in a long time.” 

“Unless you count Doc,” Buddy pointed out.

“I don’t.”

“I don’t either.”

Their quiet conversation was interrupted by the sliding glass door to the balcony opening abruptly behind them. In a past life, when it was just Buddy and Darling against the world, they both would have turned around with guns in their hands to eliminate whoever was stupid enough to sneak up on them. 

The fact that neither of them were even _armed_ was just a testament to how much things had changed. As it was, the duo just turned and looked at the third member of their party quizzically.

“I’m sorry,” Baby said in that slow drawl they were still trying to break him of. “I just... I woke up and you were both gone.”

Baby was taller than her and Buddy both, but the way he folded in on himself made him seem so much smaller. He was adamantly avoiding eye-contact with either of them, keeping his gaze firmly trained on the ground. His left hand was gripping the door, as if he would have to make a run for it. (Old habits died hard, Darling thought to herself. She knew a thing or two about that.) His hair, finally growing longer, flopped over his forehead endearingly. 

Baby’s chest was bare, much like her husband’s, but he wore jeans and sneakers. He’d probably been looking for the t-shirt she’d commandeered.

“Are you going somewhere, Baby?” Buddy asked in the soft voice that used to be reserved for her alone. 

“No, I just... had a dream. I thought...” He looked disoriented. Darling wondered to herself if he were even fully awake yet. Baby stopped fiddling with the door and let his hand fall to his side uselessly, finally looking up to meet her eyes. His brows were furrowed in confusion. 

No, then. He wasn’t fully awake yet. The fact that Baby’s sleep-addled mind had forced him to get up and get dressed so he could flee made Darling feel sick to her stomach. The kid had been running his whole life.

Buddy pulled back with a sigh, passing Darling his cigarette, and walked over to Baby who stared at him in wonder.

“Come on, Baby Doll,” Buddy said gruffly, wrapping an arm around Baby’s bare torso. “Let’s go back to bed.” 

Baby nodded once, relaxing into Darling’s husband. Buddy pressed a shockingly tender kiss to the boy’s hair before leading him inside and out of the cold. Darling watched them both go.

She loitered out on the balcony. The chill was getting to her as well, and her bare legs were beginning to feel like icicles. Darling took a long drag from Buddy’s cigarette, letting her eyes fall closed. Her short hair whipped around her face. No, she didn’t know that they were doing right by Baby, but she knew they were doing better than Doc would have. She shuddered to imagine Baby’s fate, had they left him behind in Atlanta.

The door behind her opened again.

“Darling, your presence has been requested,” Buddy said. She took one final drag from the cigarette before flicking it off of the balcony. It plummeted towards the world below. 

Her husband had rid himself of the sweats he wore earlier and was now standing in the twenty-degree weather wearing nothing but tight fitting boxer-briefs, adamantly pretending that the cold wasn’t getting to him. If possible, Darling fell even more in love with him.

“Did you put our Baby down for a nap?” She asked, and he pretended to laugh.

“As many times as you’ve told that joke, it’s _still_ hilarious,” he said sarcastically. “I made him strip down and get back in bed. He can’t fall asleep unless you’re there, for some fucking reason.”

“Maybe I’m just more comforting than you are,” she quipped. Buddy rolled his eyes, hip-checking her gently. 

“Shut up, you know you kick in your sleep.”

“That doesn’t seem to bother Baby.”

“He’s not used to it yet. Give him time.”

Their playful bickering continued all the way into the bedroom, where Baby looked up at them with unmasked adoration in his tired eyes. 

As she was on the cusp of sleep, Darling couldn’t help but think about how Baby was never meant to survive in the criminal world. With emotive eyes like that – that fucking doe-eyed shit – it was only a matter of time before someone took advantage of him.

Baby exhaled heavily, curling back into Buddy’s body. Her husband rested a hand on the boy’s stomach and pressed a kiss to the back of his head.

Well, it was only a matter of time before someone took advantage of him more than she and her husband already were.

-2-

Freedom was imminent. _Some_ how – how, exactly, Darling still couldn’t quite put her finger on – she and Buddy had escaped the cops pursuing them with the duffle bag of money orders. They were in the parking lot of some mall, Buddy desperately hot-wiring a truck.

(It wasn’t the most conventional of rides, but she supposed that desperate times called for desperate measures.)

Finally, the engine roared to life. The sirens that had become a background noise in her brain seemed to be getting louder again, and Darling spun around to see behind her. Right as Buddy began to back up, another car rammed into them from behind and jolted them both forward. With a final pitiful growl, the engine died once again.

“Fuck,” Buddy hissed, hitting the steering wheel with both hands before whirling around to face the cause of their crash.

“No fucking way,” Darling snapped, glaring at the car behind them that had caused the wreck. Baby sat in the driver’s seat, white-knuckling the wheel and staring at them both as if he couldn’t quite believe they were real.

She knew the feeling.

“Baby, you are fucking _jinxed_ ,” Buddy called out, saying a few more choice words before clamoring out of the truck. Darling grabbed the duffle bag that had somehow become their salvation in the last thirty minutes and scrambled to follow.

The parking lot was suddenly flooded with cop cars. Darling brandished her gun as she opened the passenger’s side door to Baby’s car and tossed the duffle inside.

“Fucking get us out of here,” she hissed at the driver. “This is _your_ mess, _your_ fault.” Baby looked at her, fear evident on his face even behind the sunglasses, and started to fiddle with the ignition once again. Darling turned back towards the cops and fired off a quick round of warning shots.

A bullet whizzed by her, grazing her leg, before hitting the aluminum siding of the car. Like magic, the engine started up again.

“ _Darling_ ,” Buddy called from the back seat. She turned back and dove into the passenger’s side. Baby peeled out of the parking lot before she could even get the door all the way shut.

She lasted about two minutes before she turned and scrambled into the back seat, the wound on her leg be damned. Buddy pulled her to his side and kissed her temple before lighting into Baby.

“What the _fuck_ were you thinking?” He snapped. “There is a time and a place for a fucking teen rebellion, Baby, and the middle of a heist is _not it_. You could have gotten us killed!”

Darling didn’t think Baby would respond – hell, she wasn’t even sure he could _hear_ Buddy with his earbuds blasting… was that Hocus Pocus? – but he surprised her. One second he was making a ninety-degree turn around a semi (throwing both her and Buddy across the back seat), and the next he was replying in an uncharacteristically gruff voice.

“I didn’t mean for you two to get hurt. Not you. _Never_ you. I… I didn’t think.” Darling laughed briefly before getting herself back under control, applying more pressure to her steadily bleeding thigh.

“I think… that’s the most you’ve ever said to us,” she said. Buddy looked down at her incredulously. She understood where her husband was coming from, but she was having a hard time staying angry at Baby. He _had_ saved their lives after all, albeit a little later than she would have preferred.

Things were quiet for a while as Baby did what he did best. The trio was well-outside of Atlanta before the sirens dwindled completely, and he still didn’t let up on the gas for a good twenty minutes after the fact.

“What now?” Darling asked Buddy in a low voice. “Do we have to kill him?”

“I guess so,” Buddy said. His voice was completely emotionless.

“I mean, we could always just drop him back off at home. I give it two hours before Doc’s killed him _and_ his foster dad. It would certainly save us the trouble of having to hide the body.”

Buddy stiffened next to her. She wasn’t sure _why_ she was trying to get a reaction out of him, but for some reason the thought of _anyone_ putting a bullet in Baby’s head was making her feel nauseous.

“Baby, where are we?” Buddy said after a beat, his voice loud enough for Baby to hear over his music.

“Nearing Fayetteville,” came the slightly delayed reply.

“Drop me and Darling there,” Buddy demanded. Baby didn’t reply, but his acquiescence was clear. They drove for another few minutes before Baby pulled to the side of the road, right outside of city limits. Buddy grabbed the duffle and exited the car, leaning down outside of Baby’s window so they were eye-level.

“Kid, I want you to steal a different car here and go straight home. Your foster dad’s still alive, so don’t worry about that.” Baby nodded tightly, his hands still gripping the wheel. Darling clamored out of the car as well, favoring her left leg, and joined her husband by the window.

“Don’t go anywhere and don’t talk to anyone. I’m including your girl, Baby,” Darling said warningly. He looked up at her in shock, as if he thought she may have forgotten about Debora in the chaos. Darling wanted to laugh. She didn’t get to where she was today by letting things slip her mind.

After a beat, he nodded again.

Baby had already started pulling away from the curb when Darling stepped in front of the car. He braked immediately and she walked around to the window again, holding out her own pink and bedazzled flip phone.

“Look, we’ll call you in a couple of hours. You don’t have to answer, but you should. If you want to survive, that is.”

“I can take care of myself,” he said softly, a muscle in his jaw twitching. Darling touched his cheek gently, and he jerked away.

“I don’t doubt it, Baby Doll, but Buddy and I have more experience with this. I’m not going to beg, but you should let us help you. We’re better at this than you are.” With that, Darling backed up from the window and finally allowed their reluctant chauffeur to speed off.

“What was that about?” Buddy asked, allowing her to lean on him when she walked back to the curb.

“I may have just sealed our fate,” Darling confessed. He swore under his breath.

“You and your _fucking_ compassion.”

The duo started into town at a slow pace, Darling stifling a laugh in her husband’s sweat-stained shirt.

“You love me for it.”

“Oh, shut up.”

-3-

“Baby, put me on a song!” Darling called from the bathroom. After a moment or two, Come On Eileen faded out from the speakers in the living room. It was replaced by Fleetwood Mac’s Rhiannon, and Darling rolled her eyes. Her Baby knew how to pick a theme song, all right.

Buddy and Baby were curled together on the couch, each immersed in their own novels, when Darling finally emerged with a flourish.

“My God,” Buddy said lowly, looking her up and down appreciatively. Baby, ever the gentleman, turned bright red and focused on the ground. Darling let out a sigh.

“The focus here wasn’t supposed to be my outfit, boys. Grow up.”

“I’m trying to,” Buddy said, raising his eyebrows at the pale pink lingerie she wore. She rolled her eyes.

“Your hair looks good, Darling,” Baby said, his voice coming out a whisper. Darling cooed and sat down on his lap, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Somehow, he blushed even redder.

“Yeah, yeah. I was getting to that,” Buddy said, sounding bitter. She laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek as well, right where his new beard was starting to grow in.

She’d always wondered if she could pull off a blonde bob, and there was truly no better time to find out than when she needed to change her entire identity. It had taken upwards of two hours for her to bleach and style her hair, but Darling was happy with the result. Apparently, her boys were too.

“So, I was thinking it’s about time to pick new names,” she said. “I mean, we’re all changing our appearances. If we’re going to be leaving Vancouver soon, we should probably tick off that final step.”

“You’re probably right,” Buddy sighed, standing up and coming back with a notepad. “I’ve always hated this part. It’s so much damn work.”

“Oh, stop complaining. It’s _fun_ ,” Darling emphasized.

“For _you_ , maybe. I’m the one who has to actually forge the legal documentation.”

Darling laughed, before realizing that Baby had gone suspiciously silent. (Well, more silent than usual.) He was so deep in thought that his arm had wound its way around Darling’s waist to support her in her current position. He would have _never_ done that in his right state of mind. Buddy seemed to pick up on this as well, from the way he shifted to look at him.

“Baby, what’s your deal?”

It was almost funny how attuned she and Buddy had gotten to Baby in such a short amount of time. Almost.

Baby shrugged one shoulder, but Darling spotted the now-telltale twitch in his jaw that indicated he was thinking about more than he was letting on. She reached up to smooth out the tension in his features. He let her.

“Come on, Baby Doll. Don’t shut us out.”

“I just… like being Baby,” he said, before cringing. “I’m sorry. That was stupid. I’ll help however you want me to.”

“Oh, honey,” Darling said, pulling his head into the crook of her neck. “It doesn’t matter what your name is on paper. You’ll always, _always_ be our Baby.”

That seemed to make him relax minutely, and it only took a couple of seconds for his hand to fly off her waist as if he’d been burned. Darling didn’t mind. They’d get there eventually.

“I’m gonna go get some water. I’ll be right back,” he said in a rush. Darling hopped off his lap and allowed him to retreat into the kitchen, his face ablaze.

“New identities aside, we have got to break him of that Georgian accent,” Buddy finally spoke up. “It’s a _dead_ giveaway.” Darling laughed and swatted his arm.

“Oh, come on. At least he’s talking to us now. The accent can wait a little while.”

“You just think it’s cute,” Buddy griped. Darling laughed and climbed into her husband’s lap.

“No, I think it’s kind of hot, actually.” She leaned in closer to Buddy’s ear. “Imagine him begging you, in that _sweet_ Southern accent of his, to let him come.”

He jerked back from her, his eyes wide. Before he had a chance to respond, Baby walked back into the room with three water bottles in his hands. He set them down before sitting on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, his back pressed against Buddy’s shins. Buddy stiffened immediately.

“What’s wrong?” Baby asked, looking up at the two of them with his brow furrowed innocently.

“Nothing,” Buddy said hoarsely. “Nothing at all.”

Darling couldn’t help it anymore. She started to laugh.

-4-

“I’m giving him five more minutes, Darling,” Buddy said. He didn’t often get cross with her, but his tone implied that he was just about at his wit’s end. She couldn’t blame him.

Their less-than-legal flight to Canada was due to take off in under an hour, and the two of them were still sitting in an abandoned parking lot right outside of Atlanta’s city limits. Buddy had smoked about half a pack of cigarettes and was pacing in front of the car, cursing to himself.

He was always a _nightmare_ to travel with. Darling leaned back on the hood of the car and rolled her eyes.

“He’ll be here, babe. Stop stressing.” Buddy turned to look at her incredulously.

“Stop stressing? Darling—”

Unfortunately, the rest of his defense was cut off by some maniac in a black Camaro peeling into the parking lot at breakneck speeds. Darling slid off the hood of the car and placed a reassuring hand on her husband’s shoulder.

“See? I told you he’d be here.”

“He’s fifteen minutes late,” Buddy grumbled, but she had the good graces to ignore his snide remark.

Baby practically leapt out of the car, leaving the door open as he rushed over to the two of them with a duffle bag on his shoulder and his headphones in his ears. He was breathing heavily.

“Hey, kid,” Darling said, reaching for him. He eyed her warily before stepping into her arms, resting his chin on the top of her head softly. She could feel his chest heaving. “You’re _late_.”

“…I’m sorry,” he said, hesitating briefly before backing out of her embrace.

“You better have a good fucking reason. Did you stop by your lawyer’s office first and see what kind of plea deal you could get for turning us in?” Buddy said from behind her. Darling refrained from rolling her eyes, but just barely. To her surprise, Baby actually snorted out a laugh.

“Maybe, if I could _afford_ a lawyer,” he said in that slow but sure way of his. His response actually rendered Buddy speechless. Darling laughed delightedly. It was very rare that someone could shut her husband up like that.

“Where were you then?” Buddy asked after a beat.

“Dropping my foster dad off at the old folks’ home. I couldn’t leave him all alone in the apartment,” Baby said, bowing his head. “I… took a little too long to say goodbye.”

“At least tell me you weren’t stupid enough to check him in,” Buddy said. His voice had gotten slightly less abrasive. Darling considered that a good sign.

“ _No_.” Baby sounded defensive. “I just left him on the porch with a tape recording explaining who he was and… all of my money I’d saved up from Doc’s.”

Darling watched her husband carefully, knowing that he wouldn’t be happy about Baby’s lack of monetary contribution to their cause. Baby seemed to be thinking the same thing as he shifted his weight between his feet. After a tense moment of silence, Buddy scoffed.

“You and your _fucking_ tape recorder. At least you’re leaving it here.” Darling’s heart swelled with affection. Under that gruff exterior, Buddy wasn’t all bad.

“We should probably get going, honey,” Darling said to Buddy, and he nodded jerkily before slipping into the driver’s seat. Baby looked conflicted, holding the strap of the duffle tightly.

“Sorry, Baby Doll. We don’t want to get pulled over on the way to the airport, and that’s an unfortunate side effect of your driving prowess,” Darling said sweetly, hopping into the passenger’s side. Baby appeared to weigh his options for a few more seconds before he exhaled and clamored into the back seat of the car.

“Are we _finally_ ready to go?” Buddy asked. He was trying to put on a tough exterior in front of Baby, but Darling saw right through it.

“Yeah,” Baby replied, before reaching up towards Darling. He handed her the cell phone he’d used to stay in contact with them for the few hours they’d been apart. She smiled at him in the rearview mirror as Buddy drove out of the parking lot at a respectable speed.

“You’re a good boy, Baby,” she said. He flushed under her praise, watching silently as she snapped the phone in two and dropped it out the window, right under the wheels of the car.

 -5-

“It’s going to hurt, right?” Baby said softly, holding Darling’s hand as tightly as he could.

“Well, yeah. It’ll be fast, though, and I’ll hold your hand the entire time.”

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, Baby,” Buddy reminded him, leaning up against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Darling knew he was only staying so far away because he was trying to give their boy some space. Her husband was just considerate like that.

“No, I want to. I _need_ to,” Baby said, the last part spoken quietly, as if he were trying to reassure himself. Darling looked up at Buddy and shrugged. He exhaled heavily, crossing his arms.

“Okay, kid. You good? Tell me if you need to take a break,” the tattoo artist said, dipping the gun into the black ink.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Baby breathed, craning his neck and squeezing his eyes shut. The tattoo artist looked at Darling expectantly, and she sighed, leaning down so she could talk right into Baby’s ear.

“Hey, sweetheart. It won’t hurt as much if you’ll just relax. Trust me, it will be over before you know it.” She pressed a lingering kiss to his hairline before sitting back up, her bangs brushing across his face.

It took him a couple moments, but he heeded her advice. Baby’s death grip on her hand loosened. He kept his eyes closed, but not as tightly. After a few more seconds, his neck relaxed too. The tattoo artist nodded at her before leaning forward to get to work.

Darling turned to look at Buddy. He hadn’t been expecting that, and it took him a few moments to school his expression into something that wasn’t so openly affectionate. Darling squeezed Baby’s hand once, and he squeezed back.

“That’s my boy,” she said. Buddy and Baby both smiled softly.

-6-

It was late when their motley crew reached their hotel in Vancouver (conveniently run by one of Buddy’s contacts). Baby’s head was lolling on Darling’s shoulder by the time their cab pulled up outside, but she wasn’t bothered by it. Buddy was turned around, watching them from the front seat with an unreadable expression on his face.

She jostled her shoulder slightly, maintaining eye-contact with her husband as Baby rejoined the world of the living. He exhaled slowly, leaning into her for a few seconds before he seemed to wake up for real. He jerked away, looking between her and Buddy with wide eyes. Oh yeah, she thought to herself. Baby had overheard that conversation they’d had about Bats and knew what Buddy was planning to do to him for looking at her funny.

Somehow, this was different. Darling wanted to tell Baby not to worry about it, but even she didn’t know what the connotations of that would be.

Buddy paid the driver and he sped away, leaving the three of them out in front of the hotel. Baby looked nervous still, his iPod cranked high enough for her to hear even over the hustle and bustle of Vancouver. He was listening to a song she didn’t recognize.

Buddy seemed to recognize it, though.

“That Ziggy Stardust, Baby?” Her husband asked, cocking an eyebrow. Baby nodded wordlessly. Buddy made a vaguely approving noise before turning and walking into the hotel, his bag thrown over his shoulder casually. Darling followed in his wake, tugging Baby behind her by the hem of his t-shirt.

The woman manning the front desk couldn’t have cared less about how unseasonably they were dressed or what time of night they were rolling in.

“What name is the reservation under?” She asked, typing on her computer without looking up at them.

“Walker,” Buddy said. That seemed to get her attention, because her typing paused for a brief moment before resuming.

“Of course, Mr. Walker. I’m sorry, I was told there were only two in your party?” Darling knew the woman was just trying to cover her bases, but it was late and she was _exhausted_. She leaned forward and braced her elbows on the counter.

“There were two, but we picked up a stray on the way over. Is that an issue?” She smiled, baring her teeth. The woman shook her head before Darling was even done talking, finally looking up from her keyboard with poorly masked fear in her eyes.

“No, of course not! It’s just… the accommodations Mr. Matherne had prepared for you are only suited for two people.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Darling said, snatching the room key from the woman’s shaking hand. “Thank you!”

Without another word, the three of them crossed the lobby and boarded the elevator. The doors had barely even shut before Buddy started laughing, wrapping an arm around Darling.

“I don’t think you had to threaten her, honey. She knows better than to tell us no,” he said, pushing the button for the penthouse suite. Darling shrugged a shoulder, turning to look at Baby. He was standing on the other side of the elevator, appraising them both.

“What’s wrong, Baby?” She asked.

“Nothing… I just don’t like the cold.” That made Buddy start laughing all over again.

“Join the club, kid. I don’t either.”

Some combination of that conversation and their earlier one about Bowie seemed to reassure Baby that Buddy wasn’t about to stab him for falling asleep on his wife. The younger man visibly relaxed after that, leaning up against the wall for the remainder of the ride to the twenty-fifth floor.

The penthouse suite was beautiful, but it really was only designed for two people. There was a master bathroom and bedroom, attached to a sprawling living room and kitchenette. The entire suite had gold and royal blue undertones, and Darling looked around admiringly. _This_ is why she and Buddy did what they did.

Baby stood right outside the elevator, looking around blankly. Darling suddenly realized that he was a lengthy plane ride away from everyone he’d ever known, in a different country, with two criminals he barely knew. Not for the first time, she wondered what could have possibly be going through his mind when he agreed to go with them.

“’S that your first plane ride?” She asked him, and it took his a few moments to focus in on her.

“What?”

“Was that the first time you’ve ever been on a plane?” He was silent for a beat before shrugging his shoulder.

“Yes.”

“And what a grand trip it was,” Buddy said, tossing his bag on the ground and entering the bedroom. “If you stick with us, you’ll never have to go through those pesky customs.”

That made Baby actually smile. Realizing her husband had a knack for lifting Baby’s spirits was strange, but charming nonetheless. Darling couldn’t help but wonder what the three of them had gotten themselves in to. Crime-wise, of course, but also with each other. Surely, this wasn’t a normal foundation for a relationship.

No, not a relationship. This wasn’t anything resembling a relationship. Baby needed someone to take care of him and Darling had an unfortunate abundance of compassion. Charity. That’s all this was.

Well, that’s all it was until she found Baby sitting outside of her and Buddy’s bedroom door at four in the morning. He had his headphones in (of course) and his face buried in his knees. She put a hand on his shoulder, startling him. He sat up and practically ripped his earbuds out, staring up at her.

“What are you doing, sweetheart?” She said lowly, not wanting to wake her husband. “Was the couch not comfortable enough?”

“No, it was fine. I just… had a nightmare. I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m sorry,” Baby said, training his eyes on the ground. Darling felt her heart pang unpleasantly.

“Stop apologizing so much, Baby. You didn’t wake me up. I was just getting a glass of water. Wanna come with me?” He didn’t hesitate at all before nodding, taking her outstretched hand and allowing her to haul him up.

“What was your dream about?” She asked a few minutes later, offering a water bottle to Baby as well. He took it.

“Atlanta,” he said simply. She nodded.

“I know the feeling.”

A couple more minutes passed in silence, Darling looking at Baby and Baby looking at a spot on the wall behind her. She finished her water and pushed herself back from the counter. It was hard to believe that the events at the mall had unfolded less than twenty-four hours beforehand. They seemed distant, somehow, as if they’d happened in another life.

“Come sleep with Buddy and me.” Baby’s eyes snapped to her face, and his jaw went slack.

“What?”

“You heard me, kid. It’s a big bed. Don’t even worry about it. It’s just for one night. We can get you another bed in here tomorrow.”

Baby looked at her incredulously, placing his water bottle down on the counter and crossing his arms.

“I don’t want to… intrude,” he said slowly, and Darling scoffed.

“You’ve already _intruded_ , Baby. You may as well reap the benefits of it.”

Not taking no for an answer, Darling herded Baby out of the kitchen and into her and Buddy’s bedroom. His bare feet dug into the carpet for a few moments before he seemed to acquiesce.

Darling climbed into bed and pulled Baby in after her, bracketing herself between him and her husband. Buddy mumbled something in his sleep, reaching out towards Darling. Baby froze, but she just rolled her eyes and situated him in the bed.

“You listen to music while you sleep?” She asked quietly.

“Yes,” he breathed back. She picked up his iPod and scrolled to The Counting Crows’ A Long December, pressing play before she passed it back to him. He clutched it to his chest like a life line, remaining stiff even as she curled into him.

“Goodnight, Baby,” she said softly.

“Goodnight, Darling,” he replied a few beats too late. The sentiment was there, though.

It took more than an hour before Baby relaxed enough to fall asleep, his breathing growing soft and steady. _That_ was when Darling realized what was happening.

“Fuck,” she said to herself, sandwiched between the two men. Well, this certainly explained why she hadn’t been okay with Buddy killing Baby back in Georgia. Somewhere along the way, her feelings towards Baby had turned into something more than merely wanting to protect him.

It would be okay, though, she reasoned to herself. Tomorrow, they’d get Baby another bed and this entire… _thing_ … could be resolved.

Her train of thought was cut short by Buddy reaching around her, unconsciously resting a hand on Baby’s chest. No, this was okay. Things would all make sense in the morning.

(They never did wind up getting Baby his own bed.)

-7-

“Why are you so tense, Baby Doll?” Buddy asked, and Baby fidgeted in response. He was getting better at talking to them, but he still went nonverbal at times. Fortunately, Darling had discovered early on that he’d usually explain what was stressing him out if they simply asked him.

Granted, the restaurant was pretty busy. It was the nicest place Darling had ever been, and all three of them had dressed for the occasion. Baby looked fairly uncomfortable in his three-piece suit. He kept fidgeting with his collar, revealing the tattoo on his neck every now and then. Darling noticed every time it was visible. She knew Buddy did as well.

The lighting was low and romantic, the candle in the middle of the table adding to the ambience. Her boys looked _beautiful_. Buddy looked effortless in his suit, his new beard and glasses making him look all the more distinguished. Baby looked like someone’s trophy husband.

“I took Debora somewhere like this once,” Baby finally said, and all of a sudden it seemed as if all the background noise in the restaurant was ten times louder. Buddy looked across the table at Darling – she was always better at the _emotions_ side of things – and she rolled her eyes before adjusting her fur stole and reaching out to take Baby’s hand.

“You still missing her?” She asked, and Baby looked contemplative.

“You know? Not so much anymore,” he said to her, smiling softly and squeezing her hand. “She was a… good girl. She didn’t belong in a world like this. I think I really loved her, so I had to let her go.”

“You still in love with her?” Buddy asked nonchalantly, taking a sip of red wine with his eyebrows raised. Darling wanted to laugh at his feigned indifference.

Baby looked at him before slowly freeing his hand from Darling’s and reaching up to unbutton the collar of his dress shirt. Instantly, the tattoo on the side of his neck became visible, drawing both Darling’s and Buddy’s eyes.

“Like I said: not so much anymore.”

The rest of the meal went on without any more talk of Debora.

-8-

“You sure this isn’t weird?” Baby asked, cocking as eyebrow playfully at Darling. This was a different side of him that she didn’t get to see all too often when Buddy was home. Baby was still nervous around him, for some inexplicable reason.

(It was probably the gun. Buddy was _always_ packing heat, and Baby knew it.)

“No, of course it’s not. What’s weird about making you look pretty?”

“Are you saying I’m not already pretty?”

“Oh, shut up, Baby,” she laughed.

Buddy was out for the day, cashing in the money orders with his “guy.” He’d invited Darling and Baby along, but they’d opted out. Now, an hour and a half later, they were sitting in the middle of the living room floor completely drunk on rosé. Darling was carefully painting Baby’s nails pink. 

(It hadn’t taken as much persuasion as she’d thought it would.)

“God, you’d make a beautiful girl,” she breathed, noting the way Baby blushed red at the praise. “Buddy would definitely leave me for you.”

“Don’t sell me short. He still might leave you for me, girl or not,” Baby replied, lolling his head to the side to smirk at her. Darling’s mouth fell open.

“Oh, you little minx! You know you two wouldn’t survive a single _day_ without me.” She and Baby both started laughing then. He eventually offered Darling his other hand and she began to paint again, a sense of calm falling over them both.

She had always known that Baby was a good kid, but she’d never expected to get along with him as well as she did. He was _funny_ when he wanted to be. It was as shocking as it was exciting.

“Hey Baby?”

“Yes, Darling?” It would never _not_ be strange, hearing that term of endearment fall so easily from his lips. It was a lot less weird than _Monica_ would be, though.

“I wanted to apologize.”

“For what?” He was looking concerned now, the scarred skin between his eyebrows furrowing.

“Back in Atlanta. I yelled at you after Bats… well, you know. In the mall parking lot. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

Baby looked genuinely shocked at her apology. Hell, she was kind of shocked herself. Darling had never really been one to apologize. Her sense of pride was _far_ too strong for that. Somehow, Baby had become the exception to that rule. He was becoming the exception to a lot of rules she’d set for herself.

“It’s okay. No, really,” he said, upon seeing the look on her face. “I was careless, that day. I just… I wanted to get out. I wanted to get away from Doc. I saw my chance, and I didn’t think of the consequences. I deserved to get yelled at.”

All the careful training Baby had been doing with Buddy to break that thick Georgian accent of his was undone when Baby was drunk. His accent had come back, stronger than ever. Darling was entranced.

“You never deserve to get yelled at, Baby. Not you. And as for Doc? You’ll never have to worry about him again. Anyone – _anyone_ – that wants to get to you will have to get through me and Buddy first, and we ain’t going down without a fight.”

Baby didn’t reply for a while, but then he looked up at her with an emotion she was almost scared to name brewing in his eyes. They looked at each other steadily for a few beats, and she could almost imagine that he was leaning in towards her, when the song playing over the speakers ended. The silence was quickly filled by the opening bars to The Commodores’ Easy. Baby’s eyes clouded over and he fumbled with his iPod to change the song, smearing his nail polish in the process.

“What was that?” She asked, bewildered. Baby shrugged. Drunk or not, he seemed to be retreating back into himself.

“Do you remember those tapes I had?” He replied. She nodded once. “My mom died when I was young. The only recording I have of her voice is of her singing that song on one of my tapes. I had to leave it back in Atlanta. Doc’s… probably destroyed it by now.”

Baby looked fucking miserable, staring down at the carpet like he was trying desperately not to cry. Darling reached towards him and lifted his chin so he was forced to look at her.

“I’m sorry, Baby,” she said softly.

“It’s okay. I have to move on eventually, right?”

Darling didn’t know what to say in reply that wouldn’t make him uncomfortable. She wanted nothing more than to lock him away from the rest of the world forever, so no one could hurt him ever again. Instead, she opted for taking his right hand in her own.

“You fucked up all my hard work,” she said, looking down at the polish.

“I’m sorry.”

“What did I tell you about apologizing?” She said, pressing a sticky, lip gloss kiss to his knuckles. He gave her a watery smile.

She opened the bottle of polish and began again.

-9- 

Darling walked out of the elevator, arms laden with shopping bags, to a suspiciously empty penthouse. She toed her heels off and walked to the kitchen silently, placing the groceries on the counter.

“Buddy? Baby?” She called, her hand hovering next to the gun in her waistband.

“We’re in here, dear!” Buddy called from the master bedroom. She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to relax before continuing to put the groceries away. When that was done, she walked across the living room to join her husband.

Upon reaching the open door, her heart started beating twice as fast. She must have looked ridiculous with her mouth hanging open, but Darling couldn’t bring herself to care.

Buddy was sitting up against the headboard, wearing a pair of sweatpants with no shirt. His hair was getting too long and it fell into his face messily, making him look wild. Baby sat in the V of his legs, completely naked and panting. Buddy’s chin was resting on the younger man’s shoulder. With one hand, he was holding an iPhone. With the other, he was slowly and methodically jerking Baby off.

“What’s going on in here?” She asked breathlessly.

“I bought Baby this phone the other day and I cannot, for the _life_ of me, figure out how to set it up. Do you know what iOS is?” Buddy asked, looking up at her nonchalantly.

“Yes, I do.”

“Oh, thank God. We’ve been working on this for, what, an hour now?” Buddy asked Baby, who let out a whine in response. He was fisting the Egyptian cotton sheets, his nails painted metallic gold and shimmering in the artificial light of their bedroom.

Buddy looked up at her with a devilish smirk on his face.

“Oh, Jason van Horn. You are _evil_ ,” Darling laughed, walking forward to join her two boys on their bed. Baby whined as she placed a hand on his ankle.

“Has he really kept you on edge for an hour?” She asked lowly, and Baby let out another moan.

“I think... I think it’s been longer,” he gasped out, hair stuck to his forehead. Buddy twisted his wrist on the next upstroke, and Baby _melted_ into him.

“Do you want to come, Baby?” Darling continued, and he nodded vigorously. She couldn’t help but look at the tattoo on his neck. He was completely bare except for the ink on his skin.

“Yes,” he choked out. Buddy placed the iPhone on the nightstand. Apparently, Baby had become much more interesting than his previous mission of setting up the cell phone. Darling was surprised her husband had kept up the ruse for that long.  

Crazy by Seal was playing on the speakers, and she wanted to laugh (even though it really wasn’t funny). Baby was so hard it looked painful, his cock flushed red in Buddy’s calloused palm.

“Ask him. Ask him to let you come,” she whispered, and Buddy let out a throaty groan. The noise caused Baby to buck up into his grip.

“I-I can’t hold on—” Baby started, his eyes looking wild. Beneath the layer of arousal clouding his gaze, she saw that look in his eyes she’d seen back the first time she painted his nails. The time she'd told him that she and Buddy would protect him, no matter what.

Darling moved further up the bed, and leaned towards Baby’s ear. His breathing was growing labored, and she could tell he was trying with all his might to obey her. He was such a good boy.

“Baby, ask Daddy to let you come. He’ll say yes, but you have to ask him nicely.” Buddy looked at her with wide eyes.

“I can’t… I don’t…” Baby stuttered out.

“You can. Ask him, Baby.”

“Can… Can I come?” Baby finally said in a desperate whisper. Buddy looked like he was about to give permission, but Darling put a hand on her husband’s arm.

“No. Ask him the right way,” she said, and Baby keened.

“Darling—” Buddy started, but Baby didn’t let him finish.

“Please, Daddy. Please let me come. I need it so bad. I’ve been good. Please, please let me, Daddy,” Baby choked out, his left hand letting go of the sheet to clutch at Buddy’s sweatpants instead.

To Buddy’s credit, he only faltered for a moment before he began jerking Baby hard and fast, twisting his wrist at the head of his cock.

“Come for us, Baby.” It only took a few seconds for Baby to comply, throwing his head back against Buddy’s shoulder and letting out a cry. Whether it was a cry of relief or a cry of pleasure, Darling couldn’t tell.

It took a long time for him to come back down. Buddy and Darling watched him struggle to catch his breath, completely in awe. For the life of her, Darling could not figure out how this had become her life.

Eventually, Baby’s eyes flickered open again. His own come was cooling on his stomach, but that was the last thing on everybody’s mind. He looked between Buddy and Darling, biting his lip.

“I love you,” he breathed. “I love both of you. I… I never want to be without you, for as long as I live.”

“We love you too, Baby,” Darling replied, laying back next to her boys.

“So much,” Buddy added, pressing a lingering kiss to the tattoo on Baby’s neck. It was the same curling cursive font that hers and Buddy’s were done in, and it was the most beautiful thing Darling had ever seen. She traced her fingers over the letters, one at a time. _O-U-R-S_.

 -10- 

Darling walked into the penthouse, clutching her duffle bag in one hand and a small plastic case in the other. She knew she looked far from her best, but it didn’t matter. At least she’d gotten most of the blood off her face before getting off the plane.

“Darling! You’re home early!” Buddy exclaimed, turning to look at her from his place on the couch. His feet were propped up on Baby’s lap, and the latter looked rather uncomfortable with their seating arrangement. The two appeared to be watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Darling felt a brief pang of sympathy for Baby, who had probably been forced to sit through all seven movies in her absence.

“Yeah, my vacation got cut short,” she said, smiling at her boys. “I guess I just missed you two too much.”

“We missed you too,” Baby said, before blushing at his own boldness.

“Aw, you’re sweet. Well, don’t pause the movie on my account. I’m going to go take a shower and then we can eat. Buddy, you want to make dinner?”

“Of course, my dear,” Buddy said.

“That’s what I like to hear. Okay, I’ll be right out.” She started towards the bathroom before stopping suddenly. “Oh, yeah. Baby, I picked you up a little souvenir.” Baby looked bewildered.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said slowly.

“I don’t _have_ to do anything,” she said, flicking her long hair off her shoulder. “I just saw it and thought you’d like it.”

Buddy stared at her with unashamed tenderness in his eyes as she tossed the plastic case to Baby, who caught it easily. He looked down at it and then back up at her, his mouth gaping open stupidly.

“How?” He breathed, his pretty brown eyes filling with tears.

“I’ve got my ways, kid. Didn’t want you thinking that Buddy was the only one around here who has ‘connections.’” Baby couldn’t seem to decide whether he wanted to look at Darling or at the plastic case in his hand, holding a single tape labeled in gold foil. _Mom_.

“Darling, I—”

“Eh, consider it a gift. Welcome to the family, Baby,” she said softly, turning on her heel and walking the rest of the way to the bathroom before he could get another word in.

Darling had always had an unfortunately compassionate personality for her line of work, and apparently Baby had hit all of her pressure points. He was quickly becoming her biggest weakness.

She couldn’t even find it in herself to resent him for it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
> 
> also, if you want to read this story sequentially, the order of the sections is:
> 
> 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 3, 5, 7, 9, 1
> 
> come hmu at bradmoshpitt.tumblr.com
> 
> edit (7/31): fixed some formatting shit (and a GLARING typo, oh my god). Thank you all so much for commenting! ♡ They honestly made my week. I'm considering a sequel, but I'm not sure I want to add anything else to this and ruin the flow, ya know? Let me know what y'all think!


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